Pune: Land Acquisition Begins For 253 Hectares For Purandar Airport Rehabilitation Zone

Pune: The Pune district administration has started the process of acquiring an additional 253.21 hectares of land across four villages in Purandar to develop a rehabilitation area for people affected by the proposed Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje International Airport project.

The administration has issued a public notice asking landowners in the identified areas to submit consent letters and affidavits required for the land acquisition process. Officials said the move is part of the rehabilitation plan for families who will be displaced due to the airport project.

The additional land will be acquired under Section 32(1) of the Maharashtra Industrial Development (MID) Act. The land acquisition will cover parts of the villages of Udachiwadi, Vanpuri, Khanwadi, and Pargaon.

The state government had earlier approved the acquisition of 1,216.75 hectares of land for the airport project across seven villages - Vanpuri, Udachiwadi, Kumbharvalan, Ekhatpur, Pargaon, Munjawadi and Khanwadi.

Officials said the rehabilitation land is being acquired from four of these villages to provide facilities for project-affected persons. The proposed acquisition includes 182.13 hectares from Udachiwadi, 49.52 hectares from Vanpuri, 11.18 hectares from Khanwadi and 10.36 hectares from Pargaon.

Meanwhile, the acquisition process for the main airport site is also progressing. A senior land acquisition official said that consent letters have already been received from more than 80% of landowners for the main project area.

Compensation for the acquired land will be paid at the rates approved by the high-powered committee in April. The amount will be calculated in accordance with the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.

Landowners will receive compensation of Rs 3.79 crore per hectare, which is around Rs 1.61 crore per acre. The amount includes market value, a two-time multiplier, 100% solatium and an additional 12% component.

Apart from land compensation, owners will also get payment for immovable assets such as houses, cattle sheds, wells, borewells and fruit-bearing trees. The value of these assets will be decided through joint inspections.

Officials said the rehabilitation land acquisition process will follow the same rules as the main airport project. However, only those who give consent and sign agreements will receive all benefits under the MIDC Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2019.

Those whose land is acquired through compulsory acquisition without consent will not be eligible for these rehabilitation benefits.

The district administration has appealed to residents to submit the required documents within the given period. Officials said the airport project is expected to bring new employment and business opportunities to Purandar taluka.